The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-08-03
OVER THE cArsKILLs.

Wings FAMOUS Legend.
That great family OF mountains called
the Alleghanie eliza home 100 miles wide
and 800 long REACHES from the east
ern valley OF b. Lawrence river to the
north line of Alabama. 1t is composed of
series of lofty land waves with now aud
I then billow tossed into mountain peaks.
The Catskills are one county OF this great
evolution OF rocks and fire.
They stand ten or twelve miles from the
Hudson river; these toy Alps of the Ale
ghanies, for they are distinguished from
the greater part OF the mighty range to
which they belong by their SWiss-Iike
peaks and dizzy cliffs,
1t was for a while thought that these
mountains contained large measures of
coal, but this was found 70 be a mi stake,
and they became gold mine filed with
precious metel for the intellect and the
heart, spangled with dreams aud LEGENDS
interpreted with natural landscape gar,
dens and rich with obsarvatories, from
which can be seen the emerald ieWeIry
of several different states.
AS our Hudson river craft came yester.
day, in sight of the blue rangesthat smiled
at US a few miles in the distance it was
evident that there was trouble in the Cats.
kills. The ghosts of the Dutch tenpin-
players who walk through every visitors
fancy were having one of their most bril-
liant games and making ten-stIike every
halt minute. The tops of the mou ltaIns
were bel & bombarded vi sh IT'S ut fire
Fleet after fleet of ue-fiaggsd thunder
clouds came sailing towaru u odt of the
western country. A wall of white fell in
a second between Us aud the mystery
land for which We were bound. When we
landed at Catskill it was in fl wing lake
of showers, and we we're glsG that
the old stage line OF twelve miles
and few years ago had besn presented TO
the past and new stage line established,
composed of glissening iron steeds aud
comfortable railroad coaches Safe and
dry and psering between gems OF rain
drops upon the car windows, we rumbled
through and out of the modern village Of
Churchill. We passed in the distance the
little Dutch hamlet of Leeds which
Young America called ancient" because
ii is 200 years old. We left upon our right
a manor house that is haunted By ghost
with halter about his neck. We caught
q glimpse of Catskill Greek, sitting its Ii.
quid silver down over the rocks, and at
last halted at waysIde railroad depot and
found horse coaches waiting to climb with
US four miles and half up the mountain.
Here is a toll-gate-for perpendicular
turnpikes are not product of nature, and
it costs money to build them. The old
valley mountaineer who guards the pass
and cents from any passenger who may
have use for few pods well filed with
peanut kernels. He is, also, he says,
'Goin' to put in a few soft drinks tor them
that wants 'em this summer" He is as
gray as one of the mountain rocks, and,
suppose, as abstemious, for he claims 10
be a lifelong foe to the liquid that drugged
and immortalized the famous Van Wrinkle.
Having passed safely through this por-
fQi OUr cOach horses baOan their WARY
climb.
A mile and half up the road we came
to a frame building two and half stories
tall. By the side of it was little hut OF
saloon. what is this? we asked of the
driver.
rip House." said the driver, preparing
to give the eager colonel drink. place
where Rip Van Wrinkle slept for twenty
years. You'll see the rock he slep on
just up back o. the house thar"
The proprietor of the establishment now
came to the door and looked so full of in
formation concerning the affair that 1 am
not ashamed to say that went down the
next morning on purpose to ask about it.
He is a dark man, with large, strong mus
tache, and deep, convincing voice. He
was already engaged in conversation with
a sad-looking man from New Jersey, and
had nothing to do but sip lucent glass of
lemonade and listen.
eyer see." the proprietor was saying,
"this Van Wrinkle used to live down here
10 CatskiIl. He was considerable on the
hunt, an he come up that valley down
there one day an met q lot o. Dutch fairies
with whisky kegs, an offered to help 'em
-bein' of kind disposition to everybody
but his own folKs-an' they gave him a
drink, an he Gina up on TO thai rock az
slep' there twenty years in one nap. For
he turned in he hitched mis- dorg to that
tree thar. An the tree 1t growed, an
ii growed, an when he woke up there was
nothin' left o. the dorg but a bunch o.
bones an string. An there's the bones
now" There were certainly some bones
hanging TO the branches OF tree, some
ten or fifteen feet high, where no one
could reach them"
But excuse me, sir" said the sad look
ing man from New Jersey, drawing an
a-butcher, sir, and those look very much
like beef bones to me-"
Maybe you know more about it than
the history does" said the proprietor,
testify. 81 tells Just as It's told to me. II
you can improve on 1t, why go ahead,
that's all"
The sad looking man improved on it by
buying cigar, and then said 10 the moli-
fed Boniface:
81 am little puzzled over a statement
that have found in this new guide book
which is to the effect that Mr. Van Wrinkle
took his sleep in another valley close neac
here" And he showed him the parsgr aph.
This seemed to be the first time that the
keeper OF Rips we!l-ventilated bed-roo N
had heard his claims disputed His eyes
flashed, but he controlled himself well,
aud laughed satirlcally. Hepromptly and
heroi g lily cut the Gordian not
THAT statements lie on the face of it,"
he declared; "for when We come right down
| to fine pint, he didn't sleep nowhar; he
slep' here JUS as much as any place, an 1
wouldn't wonder II little more"
The rock, which is said to have formed
poor old Rips bedstead, is snug little
climb from the road. 1t is about the
length of a comfortable couch, and hun
dreds of people are said to take a drink aud
then lie down and see If 1t makes them
drowsy. One nice old lady discover sd
slight depression and pointed il out as
| probably made by his head lying there so
long. A sober-faced, thoughtful looking
citizen engaged in distributing equitably
| some gravel that had been dumped upon
the roadway did not believe tie story at
all.
HE never could lay there twenty years
without no shelter nor nothin' over him."
said the citizen. 'Tain't reason BILE. The
snow would smudder him. The wild cats
/ xunralI x,fhhlo his oaru Tho hoaro mnuld